The Kalashnikov assault rifle, better known as the AK-47, and its variants comprise one of the largest groups of firearms on earth. It has been estimated that over 90 million of these firearms have been produced in dozens of countries since their introduction in the Soviet Union in 1946. Developed primarily as a military weapon, the AK-47 became famous for its simplicity of operation and reliability in extreme conditions of use. Because of its mild recoil, the AK-47 has the capability of delivering effective full-automatic fire at a range of 300 meters.
The AK-47 has problems that make it less than optimal for use as a weapon of war. Perhaps the most significant problem is that the AK-47 lacks means to hold the bolt open after the last round is fired from its magazine. Thus, when an empty magazine is detached from the AK-47, the bolt carrier and bolt loudly slides to breech. Chambering another round requires that a loaded magazine be inserted into the receiver and the bolt carrier be pulled back. To pull the bolt carrier rearwardly, the AK-47 must be lowered from a firing position at the shoulder to develop sufficient leverage—a time-consuming and dangerous step in a war zone.
It is known to construct detachable firearm magazines such that they will retain a firearm bolt in an open position when all of the cartridges in the magazine have been discharged therefrom with magazines recently adopted by the Yugoslavian Army and recently introduced into the United States being an example. The Yugoslavian magazines serve to permit inspection of the firing chamber and alert the user to the fact that they are empty. Nonetheless, such do not prevent the forward movement of the bolt carrier and bolt when detached from the AK-47. Thus, reloading an AK-47 outfitted with Yugoslavian magazines still requires that the shooter drop the firearm from a firing position to pull the bolt carrier rearwardly so as to chamber the first round.